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Joe Alutto sits down with WOSU Public Media news director Mike Thompson for an unedited interview.

Joe Alutto sits down with WOSU Public Media news director Mike Thompson for an unedited interview.

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Alutto earned a bachelor's degree from Manhattan College, driving trucks and working at a grocery store and a chemical company to pay for school, then went on to receive his Master's (University of Illinois) and Ph.D. (Cornell University). In 1991, the business management expert became dean of Ohio State's Fisher College of Business.

"Lots of things are possible if faculty reach out with just a little encouragement at critical times," says Alutto.

Sometimes, that encouragement pays off in striking ways. On Sunday, Alutto became interim president at Ohio State. He takes the helm following President Karen Holbrook's retirement.

“One of the great things about being at a university is that we have an incredibly noble purpose: We create new knowledge and then we transfer it from generation to generation. ”
—Joe Alutto, interim Ohio State president

Before Alutto started his new job, he sat down with WOSU Public Media news director Mike Thompson, host of Columbus on the Record, for a frank discussion of his new job, the trustees' ongoing search for a president, and the need for Ohio State to increase its international focus, among other topics.

"One of the great things about being at a university is that we have an incredibly noble purpose," Alutto told Thompson. "We create new knowledge and then we transfer it from generation to generation."

On April 30, Alutto was appointed interim executive vice president and provost, taking responsibility for the administration, coordination, and development of all academic functions of the university. He succeeds Barbara Snyder, who became president of Case Western Reserve University on July 1. Alutto will serve as Ohio State's interim president and provost until further notice.

(text: University Marketing Communications video: WOSU Public Media )

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